Burning in Embers
by sailorsaturn12345
Summary: A chase through a giant emerald clock, a mysterious piece of parchment, a creepy bird collector, a new adversary for the STN-J, and a rapidly extending storyline. (This takes place 3 months after the 26th episode concluded.)
1. Counter Clockwise

**Chapter 001:  
C0UNTER CL0CKWISE**  
  
Gasping for breath, Robin sprinted up the winding staircase entwined throughout the gears of the great clock. Although it couldn't possibly be that far past noon, the insides of the towering clock were very dark and shadowed. The young girl could only see about ten feet in front or in back of her. Ominous green shadows were lingering among all of the golden gears, slowly turning to the rhythm of time, emitting loud clicks and clanks as they kept the hour. Had he stopped chasing her? She halted to look back down the deep throat of the tower. The clank of his strides could still be heard, but they were muffled and hard to discern from the rest of the noise about. Taking advantage of her temporary safety, she leaned against a pillar and gently slid down it with exhaustion. Her blonde hair damp with sweat, a solitary tear slipped through her emerald eyes and trickled down her cheek.  
  
It had been three months since the explosion at the factory. While everyone had assumed that she and her brooding partner were dead, they had escaped. Amidst the confusion, she had collapsed, only to awake in a hospital bed. Wounded, but not mortally. Some minor scratches, and a broken wrist. But what of her partner, Amon? No one in the hospital seemed to know of whom she asked about incessantly, but one nurse recalled that a tall, dark haired man had brought her in to them. That was all. And now, three months later, he was back to hunting her down. Why had he brought her into the hospital in the first place, if her death was what he sought? And if not, why had he been following her for the past month? The confusion within the young girl created a tight knot in her chest, and the hot tears in her eyes finally began to escape.  
  
Through the glass face of the clock, the young girl watched a nest of doves fly off into the sky. The sound of Amon's footsteps reach her ears, and they were much closer. Nearly right on top of her. Getting to her feet, and wiping the last traces of tears from her cheek, she stumbled over her black dress. Reeling forward, she nearly fell from the green-lit balcony, her arms flailing. Grasping the rail and having found her balance, what she saw below her made her breath catch in her throat. Amon was only two flights of stairs below. Through watery eyes, she saw him halt. Slowly, he turned his head upward towards the rafters to which she clung. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of concern in his features, but then a resolved look took over and his eyes hardened again. Slightly frowning, he flicked back his raven black hair with a finger, and after staring up at her for a moment or two, looked away and began ascending the stairs again.  
  
The girl pushed her self upright again, and turned. For some reason, she could not move more than a few inches. Looking down at her dress, she saw that a fold of cloth was wrapped tightly around a nail in the floorboards. Heart pounding, she desperately wrenched at her dress, but the stubborn metal nail firmly held her in place. Trapped. Any further tugging of the fabric would be purposeless. Amon had reached Robin's perch, and she was trapped. 


	2. The Emerald Hand

**Chapter 002: The Emerald Hand**  
  
The sound of clanking footsteps abruptly stopped. Closing her eyes, losing sight of her emerald colored surroundings, Robin prepared herself for the gunshot. One second, two... then three passed. Many minutes passed, as two solitary figures stood panting at the top of the winding maze of stairs and balconies. The hour hand slowly inched into its new position. As the clock struck twelve noon, Robin slowly opened her eyes and turned. Amon leaned against an iron beam approximately ten feet from where she was. She could almost see the gears of his mind turning in thought, as clearly as she could see the time click by within the tower. With much apprehension, they both stood. Staring. It seemed to her that he was in just as much shock as she. Perhaps because she had stopped her flight. How could she possibly continue without a breath of air reaching her lungs? Or, perhaps he never really expected her to tire so easily. He had never considered what he would do when he finally caught up with her.  
  
"Why have you been running?" he asked angrily, with a hint of confusion in his voice. This question shocked her. Why? She hesitated. "Well, for the past month... you've... I...because..." She had never expected to be asked exactly why she was running. At this point, it was more of an instinctive reaction buried deep within her. Amon had saved her from danger many times before, but then again, he had hunted her with ill intent just as often... if not more. Sighing, he took a step towards her, but stopped when he noticed her struggling to untangle her dress from the beams again. "Hasn't it ever, even once, crossed your mind that the others are worried sick about you?" he snapped. "No. I don't suppose it would have..." he added in a dark, mocking tone, all concern gone from his voice. "The others?" she asked stupidly, not thinking before she spoke.  
  
Giving her his infamous look of disdain, he lunged forward before she could react. Deftly untangling her outfit from the beam with much more efficiency than she could have managed, he grabbed her firmly by the wrist and dragged her back down the tower's winding stairs at a dangerously fast pace. By the time they had reached ground level, Robin had come to the decision that all of her attempts to hide and flee in the past month had been a complete waste of time. It had certainly caused Amon's blood pressure to rise, and she was quite sure that the others would be just as exasperated. But then why had they not come along as well? Since Amon was by far the most skilled hunter of the team, it would have been much more logical for one of the others to be chasing after her while he continued to hunt witches. Was she honestly safe in his company?  
  
Millions of questions scrawled themselves across her mind as they walked through the city intersections. Traffic was quite heavy, but somehow that didn't stop Amon from being just as hurried as always. As they passed a clothing boutique, a little red haired girl all dressed in pink went riding by on her tricycle, sucking a lollipop. Birds were diving in and out of the way of the pedestrians, stopping to be fed a bread crumb every so often. Shop windows displayed various articles of clothing. One window held within it a huge, feathered, purple colored hat with rubies around its edge. Along side it was a hot pink sweater. Robin would have been quite content to just walk at a leisurely pace and enjoy the beautiful afternoon, but Amon was in a hurry.  
  
Weaving in and out of the crowd, avoiding as many collisions as possible, they jogged. Soon Robin was out of breath again, and asked him to slow down. "No." he sharply responded. She waited to see whether he'd would explain, but he left it at that. So she asked. "Why not? I'm having a bit of trouble breathing...". It was quite unlike her to complain about anything, but after running for ten minutes straight, her lungs had begun to give way. A 'little' trouble breathing was most certainly an understatement. "Because..." he began, while they turned onto a new avenue. "If we don't get back to Headquarters before you are spotted by them, it would have been better if I had shot you back at that emerald clock." She looked up at him, temporarily shocked. "So, you were going to shoot me." she said dejectedly, not even bothering to be frightened again. "No." he paused for a moment to glance around them, and then continued to sprint.  
  
"No." he said again, but for a different reason. A dark figure stood a few blocks ahead of them. Robin could tell that this ominous looking man was the source of Amon's worry, because he looked so out of place and forbidding that she was surprised that they were the only ones staring. The man was wearing all black. Well, of course that didn't bother her, but he also had a gun. Two, actually. One resting in his hand, and the other tucked into his leather belt. He was unrecognizable by any distinguishing characteristics, because not only was he wearing a wide-brimmed hat, but he wore dark sunglasses. His muddy brown hair was streaked with gray, but he couldn't be past forty. The one unusual feature was his right hand, which was wearing an emerald green glove that shone with the sun's rays every time he moved. The man had been looking upward at the third or fourth floor of the building across the street behind them, but his gaze wandered down and ensnared them. Too soon, he began steadily walking in their direction.  
  
Cursing under his breath, Amon clamped his hand around her small wrist yet again, and their fast paced walk turned into a run as the dark stranger began his advance. 


	3. Combat Training

**Chapter 003: Combat Training**  
  
After a few more minutes of running and hiding down alleyways, Amon abruptly stopped. Letting go of Robin's wrist, which by now was tingling and numb due to the loss of blood circulation, he motioned her to be silent for a few seconds, and then allowed her to talk. "What is going on, who is after me, and why has it taken such a skilled hunter as you so long to finally catch me?" Robin inquired, in a much calmer tone than she believed was necessary considering the unnerving circumstances.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea...", was Amon's surprisingly calm response. "However, a month ago Michael caught a hacker attempting to sort through the STN-J's data on you.", he said hurriedly, while searching in his dark trench coat's pockets for something. "Not soon after, a poorly executed attempt to burglarize Headquarters occurred." Amon had found what he had been searching his pockets for. Dialing a number on the cell phone, he lifted it to his ear. "Yes. Michael? I've found her. It appears that she had absolutely no idea why I was following her." Pausing, apparently listening to Michael on the other end, he nodded his head once or twice and then hung up with a brisk "thank you".  
  
As Robin's heart rate returned to normal, Amon slipped the small cell phone back into his right pocket. "Well, now they know that you're OK. I suppose the man who was chasing us has lost our trail.", he said, not facing her, almost as though he were speaking to himself. He then turned around to face her directly, and told her that they should get going.  
  
The late November breeze was a bit chilly, but the day was as beautiful as it had been a few hours before. Pulling her maroon trench coat closer to her and giving a slight shiver, she followed him out of the grimy alleyway back into the previously sunlit streets of the city. The sky had clouded over, and before they knew it, snowflakes had begun to fall. Robin started to recognize the neighborhood once more, and before she knew it, they were standing in front of a tall, sandstone colored building. A silver plaque on the stone wall, located next to the iron gate, clearly labeled the place as "Raven's Flat". The wind had picked up, the snow had begun to fall heavily, and they had finally reached Headquarters.  
  
During the brief ride from the ground floor to the fifth, Robin casually glanced over at her brooding partner every few seconds, silently wondering what was currently on his mind. Leaving the elevator, they went to the door across the hallway and opened it. As soon as they entered the room, all eyes were on Robin. A grin slowly stretched across the face of the young boy sitting in front of a computer with about a hundred wires connected to it. His desk was littered with food and candy wrappers, along with CD's and various other means of entertaining oneself when stuck at a computer terminal all day. A few chairs down from him sat a blonde young woman, dressed in tight fitting denim jeans and a creamy pink sweater. She appeared just as happy as the guy working at his computer, but she didn't seem to be doing as much work, what with her feet propped up on her desk and a giant wad of gum in her cheek. It was Michael and Doujima. Grinning, Doujima called across the room to a mature looking brunette who had not noticed Robin and Amon enter the room. "Hey, Miho!" she called playfully, tapping her high heels on her computer's keyboard as she spoke, Michael flinching with each tap. "Guess who just walked in, back from an 'oh so bothersome' witch hunt?" Blowing an impressively large pink bubble which immediately exploded with a loud 'pop', Yurika Doujima spun around in her chair and watched as Miho Karasuma whirled around with joyous surprise and stared at the two who had just arrived.  
  
"Robin! Oh, I am so glad that you are safe!" she exclaimed, quickly striding towards her. Amon had already taken a seat at his desk, feigning indifference as the others greeted Robin warmly and thumped her on the back.  
  
"So tell me, Robin-chan! Where have you been all this time?", playfully asked a young man wearing baggy khakis and an earth green pullover. Strands of messy brown hair fell into Haruto's face as he threw his head backwards, looking over at Robin from a comical upside-down position. "Yeah, you've like... been missing for weeks, no...months!" stated Michael, pushing his amber-tinted glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose, returning to typing long lines of green letters on his computer keyboard, never pausing to backspace once. Years and years of work at a computer can do that to a guy.  
  
Amon looked over with a slightly amused, yet somewhat annoyed look on his face. "Oh, of course she was afraid that I was going to expend a few of my precious bullets on her.", he said, sighing. "Would have been quite a waste of resources..." he added after thinking for a moment. Robin looked as though she wanted to retort back, but Karasuma put a hand on her shoulder to restrain her. Instead she just resorted to putting on a slight pout and turning herself away from his eyes, currently filled with his usual dark sense of humor. A slight smile played on his lips, but then it vanished and he removed his gaze from her as well. He glanced out his window at the lawn below, now completely covered with snow.  
  
After an awkward silence, Doujima proposed that they go outside for a little fresh air. "Come on, it will be fun. I'm sure that you can come too, Michael. It will still be at Headquarters, only outside."  
  
Motioning them to follow her, she grabbed her coat and gloves, and then dashed towards the elevator. Following her lead, the others did the same. Hesitantly, Robin rose and left as well, taking a black velvet cloak with her along with some gloves. After watching her exit the room and waiting a few minutes, Amon sighed and slowly got up, making sure to grab his winter gear as well. "Exactly what do you guys think you are doing!" yelled a nearly bald, short tempered man from the balcony. "Combat Training, my good sir! Combat Training!" Doujima yelled back, giggling hysterically.  
  
'Now what could she possibly mean by that?' the extremely confused Kosaka wondered, quizzically scratching his hairless head. He sighed, and supposed that he would find out soon enough.  



	4. Parchment

**Chapter 004: Parchment**  
  
Robin walked out into the courtyard. It wasn't very large, but its size was sufficient for what they had in mind. Not a single footprint marked the crisp, new fallen snow. A few trees littered the area, branches weighed down with snow and ice. The others stood behind her, looking around at the picturesque surroundings just as she was. Michael was wearing a blue and white striped hat, and Doujima was wearing a hot pink scarf. Other than that, all of the others were wearing their usual attire. There was no reason for them to change into different attire, because their trench coats were very warm in the first place.  
  
Suddenly, Haruto sneezed. Like a gunshot at the start of a race, this resulted in everyone (except for Amon of course) dashing out into the snow, whooping and laughing at the top of their lungs. Robin didn't 'whoop', but she did laugh quite a bit. It was hilarious. Karasuma had already thrown a well packed snowball at Doujima, who in return screamed wildly and dashed behind a nearby bush. Meanwhile, Michael had climbed the largest of the trees and was using the snow that was already on the branches for creating his ammunition. If anyone came within a few feet, he would shake the branches, showering the trespasser with an avalanche of snow. Haruto just busied himself with building a snow man which resembled and angry Kosaka, and hid behind it whenever he became a person's new target practice. Robin, unsure of how to frolic about, just plopped herself down on a mound of snow and watched the whole thing as a little child would watch a play.  
  
Amon sat himself down in a far corner or the courtyard, as brooding as he always was, and took out a thick book. To the others, it appeared that he had no wish to join in their fun whatsoever, but if they had bothered to watch closely they might have noticed him glance up occasionally. He did this most often when Robin laughed at a particularly ridiculous stunt performed by one of the four. In fact, within twenty minutes nearly everyone had forgotten that he was there, until Robin let out a gasp. A large wet spot had materialized on the back of her neck as a snowball exploded in her hair. A hush fell over the group as Amon rose from his spot on the lawn and brushed off his coat. Flicking the snow out from his hair, he raised his eyes to meet hers. Slowly, a smirk began to materialize on the corner of his mouth, and then a low chuckle could be heard emitting from his lips. The quiet laugh didn't last long. It was cut short by a powerfully thrown snowball hitting his chest. It took a moment for everyone to recover from their shock and return to reality. "Get'm, Robin!", shouted Michael, gaining awareness of what just happened.  
  
Until six o'clock, all six of them were involved in the wildest 'Combat Training' that ever happened in the history of STN. Amon had become everyone's favorite target, but only a few of their pitiful showers of snow succeeded in hitting him. Kosaka and Hattori just stared dumbstruck out a large, frosted window on the fifth floor, wondering how such a change could have possibly come over their dark and moody witch hunter. The sun had set, and everyone was far too distracted to notice a seventh set of footprints, leading in and then back out of a side gate in the courtyard. Where they reversed in direction lay a small piece of parchment, noticed by none. By the time 'Combat Training' had concluded, it was too dark for anyone to see a little white scrap of paper lying in the snow. Everyone, still laughing and breathing heavily, had reentered the building and were on their way back up the elevator.  



	5. Blood

**Chapter 005: Blood**  
  
Aside from the occasional spontaneous laugh from Doujima, followed by Haruto snickering and muttering something along the lines of: 'snowball' and 'Amon', everything had returned to normal by the next morning. Kosaka had given them all one of his lectures on 'acting their age' and not being 'irresponsible', but as usual, no one really took it seriously. The snowball fight had apparently helped them all relax for once, and even Amon seemed in a better mood.  
  
Pouring herself a steaming cup of strong coffee, Robin seated herself down at the window sill and stared out at the lawn on which they had previously trampled. The sun had come back out from the clouds, and the twittering of birds could be heard. A blue skied, crisp winter day lay before her as the sun rose over the city. Releasing a deep sigh, she then took a sip of her coffee and reached over to the desk for some cream. Not too much, though. She couldn't ruin its deliciously strong flavor.  
  
"Hey Michael, any more news on who's after Robin?", Haruto asked as he munched on a piece of toast, slouching in his swivel chair. "No. But I have a feeling that we've overlooked something crucial.", Michael responded uneasily, tapping his feet to the music blaring from his headset. "You mean that 'you' overlooked, stupid.", Haruto chuckled, leaning his chair back on two legs. "Its not as if we've been doing anything... mainly because we can't. We don't know where to start. And you're the only one with real 'h4x0ring' skills."  
  
Across the room, Doujima broke out into a small fit of giggles for some unexplainable reason, until Amon gave her his death glare and she abruptly stopped. "Well, you could at least try to help Michael out, seeing as you have nothing better to do.", Karasuma called from across the room as Haruto leaned too far back on his chair and fell over with a loud bang. Doujima began a new fit of laughter as she sat cross-legged in her chair, grinning wickedly. Robin got up and headed towards the sink with her coffee cup, but tripped over a wire sprouting from Michael's computer, dropping her cup with a loud shatter. Amon glanced over out of the corner of his eye, but then went back to work indifferently.  
  
"Oh. Ow...", Robin whispered, a piece of glass protruding from her delicate hand. This made everyone including Amon look back up again. Blood began to drip down past her pale wrist to the floor, making a small puddle at her feet. Noticing the look of concern in Amon's eyes, she blushed and started trying to ineffectively blot up the mess with a tissue. "Hey, Robin. You should probably wrap that up in a bandage of some sort.", Karasuma said, approaching and putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm afraid the ice machine is broken. You'll have to go out and get some snow to put on it."  
  
Holding back the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her emerald eyes, Robin nodded silently, biting her lip as she turned to leave. Walking swiftly out, careful not to let anyone see her tears, she passed through the doorway and headed for the elevator. Soon everyone returned to their work, with barely a shadow of concern left on their faces. They had much more important things to worry about than a fifteen year old girl being attacked by her coffee pot.  
  
As Robin reentered the courtyard, still covered with their wild footprints, something caught her eye. Temporarily forgetting about her cut, she ran over to it, her black dress billowing behind her. At her feet lay a small, folded piece of paper. Surprised and curious at the same time, she looked about the place and then reached down to snatch it up. It was covered with frost and was difficult to open without tearing the paper or injuring her hand further. After breathing on it a few times to melt the ice crystals, she carefully unfolded it.


	6. Red Writing

**Chapter 006: Red Writing  
**  
Robin unfolded the parchment, careful not to cause a rip or tear. Oh. There was nothing on it. 'That's strange...' she thought. Puzzled, she gently refolded the piece of paper, still careful not to damage it. Even though there was nothing there, a gut feeling told her to keep it. 'Now Amon will really think I've lost it...' she thought to herself, giving a little laugh. Slowly placing some snow on her bleeding wrist, she gasped and quickly withdrew her hand. Too cold. She decided not to apply it to her wound just yet. Filling a small plastic bag that Karasuma had given her, she then headed back into the building.  
  
"Here, let me see it.", Haruto demanded after Robin mentioned to the group how she had found a blank piece of parchment out in the courtyard. "Sure. Only I don't see what's so fascinating about it. It's only a blank piece of paper.", Robin replied, still busy tending to her wrist. Karasuma had fetched a first aid kit from one of the lower level floors while Robin was gone, so her and Robin had since busied themselves tying up the wound in an ace bandage. Taking the piece of parchment from Robin, Haruto slowly unfolded it. Suddenly, a smirk spread across his features. "Robin. I hate to tell you this, but you must have unfolded it the wrong way."  
  
"What do you mean?" she replied, clipping the bandage into place. "Yeah, Haruto... is there really an incorrect way to unfold paper?", Michael added with a grin. Laughing even harder now, Haruto held up the parchment. Writing, written in some kind of dark red ink, could be seen as clear as day. "But...I...it wasn't...", Robin sputtered, now completely and utterly embarrassed. Face turning bright red, she just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the paper while the others laughed hysterically. "First, you find what you consider a 'blank' piece of paper. Now, it turns out that there really is something written on it. Why you brought it in when you thought it was blank is beyond me.", Amon said with a smug look on his face, grinning. If they had thought Robin couldn't become any more red in the face, they were wrong.  
  
"Well, what does it say!", Doujima demanded impatiently, rolling her eyes and flipping back her sandy blonde hair. All turned to face Haruto. "Um... I'm not quite sure. Its really wet from the snow, and the ink got smudged in a lot of places.", he said, displaying to everyone his hands smeared in red. Doujima began muttering words along the lines of 'idiot' and 'incompetent', but Karasuma went over to look at the parchment herself. "Here, let me try to read it." As soon as Karasuma picked up the piece of parchment, her eyes grew wide.


	7. The Riddle

**Chapter 007: The Riddle**  
  
"Well, go on then! Read it aloud, Karasuma!", Doujima squealed like an excited child, bouncing a bit in her chair as it squeaked underneath her. "Yes, please do. Before Doujima wets herself...", Haruto said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. His comment was quickly met with a powerful shove from Doujima, knocking him into his desk and scattering its contents as he snickered. "Very well. This is what it says.." Karasuma cleared her throat.  
  
Beware the bird keeper  
  
Take heed and watch  
  
The girl shall become her name  
  
Old clock strikes three  
  
But where will you be  
  
When the game is first begun  
  
After a very long and silent pause, Doujima snatched the paper out of Karasuma's hands. "Hmm. Whoever wrote this needs a real lesson on punctuation."  
Michael laughed. "Actually Doujima, in poetry there is something called 'artistic license'. It means that the poet is entitled to any sort of grammatical flaws that he or she wants."  
"Well, OK then.", Doujima sighed as she slumped back in her chair.  
  
"I don't think you guys realize the importance of this note. It was obviously meant to be found, and you could almost interpret it as a threat.", Karasuma observed, looking very serious. Everyone stopped laughing. "How could this possibly be a threat? I mean... it doesn't sound malicious!", Doujima said with a hint of worry. "I don't see how anyone could make sense of this..." "Until it all happens.", Michael finished for her as he rose from his seat at his computer, a rare occurrence at best. Walking over to the window, he looked out on the courtyard. "Where did you say you found this note, Robin?" Robin got up and pointed out the spot, pressing her finger to the frosted glass. "Right there, in the far left corner." Michael stared for a long time. Haruto cleared his throat pointedly a few times, and Karasuma tapped her fingers on the windowsill. Finally Doujima interrupted. "Oh, What is it!"  
  
Amon answered for Michael. "The author of that note, or whoever delivered it, came in through that door." he said, nodding towards an old wooden door inset in the surrounding stone wall. The others began nodding in agreement. "Strange, I never noticed that door before." Robin whispered as she spoke her thoughts aloud. "You wouldn't have." Amon replied. "That door has never been used. The only way through it was out, not in. It is locked to the outside, and there is no key. It was built as an escape route from the STN-J if it were ever attacked. It's a pity that we didn't know about this last year..." he trailed off agitatedly as a sad smile crept over Robin's features.  
  
"Well, if there is no key, how could they have possibly entered?", Haruto asked. No one answered. "The enemy we're up against may have powers that surpass the average illegal agency of witch hunters. Perhaps they are not after Robin because she has magical talents. And if they are, they have obviously hired a few craft users of their own." Amon paused, watching a bird perch on the outer window ledge. "I think we should start to solve this riddle, before Robin or anyone else gets themselves killed.", he added darkly, tearing his gaze away from the bird and walking back towards his desk. 


	8. Echoing Laughter

**Chapter 008: Echoing Laughter**  
  
8 hours later...  
  
It was two o'clock in the morning, and everyone was going home. "We can work more on this riddle tomorrow. I'm sure that everyone will be safe for one night.", said Doujima casually as she packed up her belongings and fixed her hair. "I suppose...", Karasuma replied, slightly hesitant. "Aw. Come on. We've been working on this puzzle for eight hours and have had to put up with Kosaka long enough.", Haruto complained as he pulled on his winter jacket. "OK, see you guys later then.", Michael said dejectedly while throwing them all an abandoned look. "I'll stay to keep you company, if you want me to Michael." Robin got up from her desk and came over to sit next to him. "You probably need to rest, Robin.", Amon interrupted. "After all, you've had a very long day and it's your first day back to work." Michael threw a discrete glare towards Amon, but no one noticed. "Yeah. That's true.", Doujima agreed as Haruto nodded vigorously, wanting to leave before Kosaka came back. "Well, I suppose I'll stay late tomorrow then." Robin reluctantly agreed. "Do you need a ride, Robin?", Karasuma asked. "Oh no, that's fine. I've got a few things I need to do on my way home. Thank you, though."  
  
Walking out onto the dimly lit streets, Robin began to head home. She couldn't take her vespa, since it had broken down a while ago and was still in repair. It was strange, but the city's usual late night traffic was nonexistent and it left her with an unusual empty loneliness. Only one or two cars passed by her every minute, and even the moon's brightness was shrouded in wraithlike clouds. She wanted to stop by the post office and drop of a few letters before returning to her relatively new apartment. It had been cheap, and ideal for hiding from hunters because it was on the outskirts of the city where not many people lived, and those that did live there never asked too many questions. She had been working at a small coffee shop a block down from the apartment, where she could hear the latest gossip and have a discount on her espresso. However, the post office was in the opposite direction of her new home. 'Just a few blocks down...' she said to herself, looking up at the shadowy street signs. 'Everything looks so different at night.' she thought. 'But wait. Is this the right way? I must have made a wrong turn.'  
  
Suddenly, a hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed her by the arm. "Not lost, I hope, are we?", a man's voice smoothly asked as the bodiless hand wrenched her to a halt. "N..n..no.", stuttered Robin, gasping with fright. His hands were deathly cold to the touch, and just as pale, as though no blood flowed through them at all. She should have waited until morning to drop of the mail, and allowed Karasuma to drive her home, Robin thought as she began to sweat. "If you had a guide, perhaps you would not be as lost as you currently are." His voice was as slippery as silk, but as deathly and cold as a vulture's shadow. "Here. Why don't you come into my shop. I have a parrot that may interest you." The thoughts that had been flapping around her head before now came to a sudden halt. The riddle resurfaced in her mind, and she gasped in realization. It all suddenly made horrifying sense. "B..beware the b...b...bird keeper...", she stammered, her heart pounding in her ears. She tried to pull herself away from the malevolent stranger, but he held on even tighter, nails digging into her delicate skin. Then, he began to laugh, sending echoes ricocheting all over the empty alleyway he had dragged her into. A streetlight a few blocks down flickered as Robin slowly lost consciousness, the world spinning before her eyes. 'What is... happening... to... me.' Her last thought slowly crumbled as everything gave way to total darkness. Nothing but his terrible laugh remained, endlessly resounding in her mind. She wanted to cry for help, but all that could escape her lips was a faint whisper. So faint that even the sinister stranger did not hear her.  
  
'Amon...' 


	9. The Collector

**Chapter 009: The Collector**  
  
'Tick, Tick, Tick', was the sound that met Robin's ears as she slowly regained consciousness. Her vision blurry, she tried to bring her surroundings into focus. Slowly shapes began to emerge, and she could discern large metal bars all about her. She was in a circular cage. But wait, how could she possibly fit in a cage? Now her vision had returned (as well as it ever could without her glasses), and she hopped over to the edge of the cage. It didn't take her long to reach it, since it was only about six inches in diameter. Looking out, she could see the room she was in. Or rather, the attic she was in. Dusty books littered the old fashion dressers and shelves, covered with cobwebs. On the shelves not occupied by books, however, there were exotic birdcages, containing all sorts of birds, both ordinary and exotic. The green light that floated about the place reminded her of the emerald clock that she and Amon had been ascending the previous day. Was it only a day ago? Her thoughts were jumbled, time seemed immeasurable, and she could barely concentrate. 'What has happened to me?'  
  
A man entered through a door on the opposite wall, the one with all the bookcases. She couldn't tell whether it was the same creep that had ambushed her the previous night, but she had a feeling that it was. He wasn't very young, but he wasn't old either. 'Probably about forty.', she concluded. Dressed formally like a friendly business man and with his black hair cut tidily, he didn't look menacing at all. 'But I know different...', she thought bitterly, ruffling her feathers in agitation.  
  
After shuffling around some papers on his desk, he turned around and grinned in her direction. "Well, if it isn't our new addition.", he said with a voice that didn't match the warmth of his smile by a long shot. In fact, she had decided that it wasn't really a smile. It was a content smirk; one that clearly said 'I've got you now and there is nothing you can do about it'. Instead of fear, his attitude sparked an emotion within her that she hadn't felt in a long time. Anger. Struggling to speak, but unable to do so, she flapped her wings wildly and chirped as angrily as possible. "Now, we'll have none of that.", his voice was threatening now, and she stopped immediately. Slowly he lost his anger, and began gloating just as a child would over an expensive toy. "Lovely. Quite lovely. The prettier the girl is as a human, the more beautiful the bird will be.", he paused for a second, and swept his arm towards the other birds. "As you probably have noticed, I am a collector. I've developed a personal aviary, you might say".  
  
Sitting down at his desk, he picked up an exquisite pen and began to write, chuckling silently to himself. It was too far away for Robin to read, or care to read for that matter. Her anger abated, and after several minutes past with him ignoring her all the while, she became afraid. Terrified, actually. It's not every day that you wake up and find yourself caged and held captive by an insane bird collector. She had so many questions to ask, and the inability to ask them. That alone frightened her. But most of all, she was worried about whether she could ever turn back into a human again. Staring out the window, she could see that they were very high up. In fact, they were located at the very top of the emerald clock. 'Perhaps if I could get out of the cage I could fly away...', she thought.  
  
"Oh no you don't." The collector got up from his chair, and shuffled the papers he had been writing on into a neat pile. Laying them on the desk, he turned to her and approached. "You will do no such thing, my little Robin. And yes, I know that is your name. I have no choice what species of bird my acquaintances turn into, but I do have the power to read their minds once they have. And yes, I am a craft user. I'm not at all fond of the term 'witch'. Too harsh, most definitely. As you have realized, I have the ability to transform young ladies, like yourself..." he added, "...into beautiful creatures of the air. Lovely, isn't it?"  
  
'I don't think so at all!', Robin thought back, angry again. 'So what are you planning to do with all of your prisoners now?!' He laughed at her last thought. "Nothing yet, of course. As I said before, I am merely a collector. And I find you even prettier as a robin, Robin." He laughed again. Robin glanced at the grandfather clock. It was almost two thirty in the afternoon. 'I have only one question left. Why?' He waved her question away as though it were insignificant, with another laugh. "Because I love it. I love collecting young girls such as yourself and transforming them into even more beautiful creatures. I have been blest with this gift, so why not make use of it."  
  
Robin wasn't convinced. He frowned. "Hmm. Not going to believe that, are you? No. I thought not. Well then, here is all I'm going to tell you. An old friend of yours seems to be out to do you in. And when that certain someone is rich, why not get rid of you in an entertaining fashion. That certain someone pays me to continue the noble art that I enjoy in the first place. Quite simple, really." He laughed again, and with each reoccurring laugh she felt a deeper sense of dread.  
  
Back at the STN-J, everyone had decided to locate every single clock in Tokyo. Of course, this threw the office into a slight pandemonium.  
  
"Argh! Doujima, will you stop hovering over me like a human UFO! It's driving me crazy!" Haruto snapped, as Doujima rolled her eyes and backed away a few paces. Everyone was online searching for every possible clock that may be involved in the riddle. They had already figured out that Robin must have become a robin, because that was plain enough. ("The girl shall become her name. Well, that's not too difficult to figure out, now that Robin has gone missing.", Michael had said earlier.)  
  
"Amon. Do you think that the clock that you and Robin were in yesterday could possibly be it?", Karasuma asked. "Well, wouldn't that be convenient.", Michael said with a bit of sarcasm, having just found the emerald clock online. "It just so happens that the clock you are talking about has been ten minutes fast for the past month. If that's the correct one, we need to work even faster!" Everyone stopped working and looked up at him. "Of course that would be the one, then. The riddle seemed to specify a specific clock, meaning that not all of the clocks would be striking three at once. Remember? It said: 'THE clock strikes three'."  
  
Without explanation, Amon rose from his chair, put on his trench coat, and left. It took the others a few seconds. All at once, they leapt up from their chairs and put on their coats as quickly as possible. "Well, we can only hope that she'll be AT the clock. For all we know she's someplace entirely different.", Doujima sighed. "Well, it's the only location mentioned in the riddle. We can only hope.", Karasuma said determinedly, as they got in the car.  



	10. Catch Her as She Falls

**Chapter 010 - Catch Her as She Falls**  
  
In the STN-J's basement parking lot, everyone quickly chose their motor vehicle. Amon, Karasuma and Doujima got into the sleek black car, as Haruto mounted his favorite motorcycle. After the incident with Kurata, the never-aging, scarab tattooed witch that caused Haruto to have a LITTLE bike accident, he got a slightly apprehensive feeling whenever he sat in it. However, that was months ago, and now instead of that little twinge of fear, Haruto felt excited. Everyone had decided that the old emerald clock tower would be where Robin was currently held captive, and he knew that with his trusty motorcycle, he could maneuver faster than the car. Taking a deep breath, he inserted the keys and started the bike. Taking another deep breath, he turned the keys again. Another deep breath, and he reinserted the keys and turned them again!  
  
"Haruto, your bike is obviously not functioning properly.", Amon said sharply. "Get in the back with Doujima." As he said this, Haruto sighed and Doujima smirked, tapping her heels on the back of Karasuma's seat.  
  
Haruto stared at the car door for a second too many, and Amon lost his patience again. "Haruto!", he snapped, glaring across the garage. This only made Doujima giggle louder. Haruto sighed again as he got into the car, shutting the door a bit too forcefully. As they drove off, Doujima flipped her hair and laughed. "Amon is uptight cause he's worried about Robin..." (Amon gave her an icy glare from the driver's seat), "...and Haruto is uptight because he has a crush on me and doesn't want to admit it!", Doujima smiled and thought to herself, with a wicked gleam in her eyes. 'Besides the fact that Robin could be in a life and death situation at the moment, this is turning out to be a pretty darn good day!'  
  
'Now that you've captured me, what are you planning on doing?', Robin questioned, as the bird keeper paced along the old, dusty floorboards pensively. "Well, I am not a killer, and I don't have the heart to hand you over to the ones who hired me...", he said with deep concern, frowning. Robin very much doubted his sincerity. "But I can't very well have your friends solving the riddle and ending up in my little aviary, could I?", he stopped pacing and slowly strode towards the cage in which Robin was held captive. "Perhaps I should just, let you go?" The bird keeper pondered this slowly, as though he was giving her a choice in the matter. Robin's heart skipped a beat. Then how would she ever turn back? And she wasn't even sure that she'd know how to fly. "Yes. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Brilliant!", he praised himself, giving a little applause. Picking up her bird cage, he walked out onto the rickety balcony, wind whipping through his hair and suit. Feathers fluttering as fast as her heart, Robin closed her eyes in apprehension. As the bird keeper withdrew a small silver key from his pants pocket, the door banged open and the sound of a few guns being notched could be heard.  
The bird keeper frowned, as he turned to face Amon and the gang. "How is it that you arrived hear faster than my pizza?", the bird keeper asked calmly, checking his watch. "I ordered it about forty minutes ago and it is still not here." Before anyone could move, he darted to the edge of the balcony and held the cage out over the streets below. "If any of you try anything, my little Robin will be dropped onto that curb. I suggest that you leave, or suffer the loss."  
In a swift movement, before the bird keeper could react, Amon had swept foreword and grabbed the cage out of his hands. 'Ow.', Robin thought as she hit one of the bars. 'Today is definitely not my day.' Laughing madly, the bird keeper grabbed hold of Amon's collar and flung him over the edge as Amon took the bird keeper down with them. Doujima screamed as Karasuma and Haruto ran to the railing, and watched in slow motion as the two... no... the three of them fell towards the pavement, Robin still trapped in her cage.  
  



	11. Powers Awaken

**Chapter 011 - Powers Awaken**  
  
Everything felt like a dream to Amon as he slowly plummeted downwards, wind ripping through his black trench coat. He allowed a melancholy smile to appear on his lips. His mind wasn't on his own safety, but the little bird's. It would all be over soon. Why was it taking so long? After what seemed like an eternity he hit the ground, bird cage clutched to his chest protectively.  
  
Doujima stood gaping over the balcony ledge, with Karasuma and Haruto next to her. Regaining their realization of what just occurred, the three of them quickly dashed back into the attic room and down the long, rusted staircase. "Amon!", gasped Haruto, out of breath as the three of them ran towards the shadowed figures lying on the pavement. A few flecks of blood could clearly be seen scattered along the sidewalk, and they assumed the worst. "Oh my god...", Karasuma breathed as she checked Amon for a pulse, Robin distressfully twittering in her cage.  
  
"He's alive.", Doujima breathed, unable to believe it. With a slight groan, Amon attempted to lift himself, a few sharp pebbles embedded into his hands. Speechlessly, Karasuma slowly backed away a few steps, Haruto following her lead. "But... how...", Doujima gasped out, stuttering with astonishment. After a few attempts, Amon had struggled to his feet, clearly only possessing minor injuries. Nothing fatal.  
  
Everyone was too astonished to acknowledge that the bird keeper was still alive. Possibly wounded mortally, he rolled over and coughed, blood splattering the pavement. Watching the bird keeper writhe, Karasuma came to her senses. "That man needs medical attention immediately." Amon gave her a withering look, not in favor of the suggestion, but Doujima quickly took out her phone and dialed the number before he could comment. Reading Amon's mind, Haruto quickly spoke. "If he dies, we'll never be able to bring Robin back." Amon's anger gradually dissipated, concern replacing it. Looking down at the bird cage, expression softening, he sighed. The medics had arrived, and the bird keeper was lifted on to the ambulance. "Wait!", Doujima yelled with panic. "What about Robin, Mr. Creep!?"  
  
Giving her a smirk, he strained a whisper in reply. "Can't do a thing about that, now, can we miss? You've sealed the little bird's fate by saving my life. I'll never turn her back." Instantly, Amon was by the man's side, and no one bothered to restrain him. "You'll turn her back, all right.", he threatened through clenched teeth. "The factory may be destroyed, but I'm sure we could find some other use for you."  
  
"Amon!", Karasuma gasped. But Haruto was nodding, and Doujima looked stuck between the two. Sighing, Karasuma finally nodded. "Alright. You heard him. You had better turn Robin back immediately, or we'll let HIM take care of you.", she said, nodding towards Amon with grim determination. Giving Amon an angry glance, the bird keeper sighed. "Well, you couldn't possibly want her returning to her original state while she's in that cage, do you?"  
  
"Michael? You there?", Haruto asked into his communicator, riding in the back-seat with Karasuma strategically placed between him and Doujima. Robin was sitting in front with Amon, because Karasuma had INSISTED that she needed to keep Doujima and Haruto separated. "Well, it sure took you long enough!", Michael complained angrily, clearly frustrated. "Here I am, back at headquarters, worried to DEATH about what might have happened to Robin, and none of you even THINK to inform me of what is happening!?"  
  
"Hey, Robin. Sounds like SOMEBODY was worried about you.", Doujima smirked, throwing a glance at Haruto, who appeared to have developed an intense fascination with what was going on outside the car.  
  
Robin sighed, as she stared out her window as intensely as Haruto. She hadn't spoken since she had been restored to her original form. Not only was she embarrassed about the whole incident, she felt responsible for it. If she had only accepted Karasuma's offer to drive her home, she wouldn't have been caught by the bird collector and imprisoned in a cage. What bothered her even more, was that Amon had nearly died because of her stubbornness. It was her fault. How he survived had not even been brought up yet, but she was sure it must have been due to the awakening of his power. No one had been sure whether he would ever develop any craft in the first place. He was half human, after all. The way he had regarded all craft users before the events of the past year, made many doubt that he had a speck of witches blood in him.  
  
It was all her fault. Vision blurry, she quickly wiped away the droplets of water forming along the edge of her eyes. She didn't want anyone to notice how upset she was feeling inside, all of the guilt that she had hidden, but ready to reveal itself the second she allowed a single teardrop to fall. Fists tightening in her lap, she felt absolutely helpless. 'Why didn't my craft work while I was a bird? Why? I wish that I could have defended myself, at least. Then, perhaps I wouldn't be feeling so weak and vulnerable at the moment.'  
  
Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, trying to comfort her the best it possibly could. Looking up from the window, she turned to see Amon staring straight ahead at the road. If it weren't for his hand on hers, she could have believed that he had taken no notice. Wiping her tears away again with her free hand, she gripped his firmly, trying to steady her emotions and at the same time let him know how much she appreciated his kind gesture. Blushing, she tried to catch his eye, wondering if even he was aware of his hand resting on hers. A slight smile came to his lips, and he quickly glanced in her direction. Surprised at this, since it was rare for him to show even the slightest bit of compassion for her, she blushed even more. Quickly she turned her gaze back to the road, no longer afraid.  



	12. Mysterious Craft

Chapter 12- Mysterious Craft 

Slouched in his chair, agitatedly running his hand through his hair, messy strands falling haphazardly across his forehead, Sakaki sighed as he restlessly tossed a rubber band ball towards the ceiling, catching it before it hit the carpet. After several moments passed he began to tire of the silence of the office. Increasing the flick of his wrist, the ball soared upwards and hit the ceiling before descending once more. Amused, he continued with even stronger force, mumbling between every throw. "No threats...", BANG! "No riddles...", BANG! "No assignments", BANG! "Nothing fun"  
He continued with this for a few minutes. Then the phone rang. Instinctively, Hattori answered it. "Hello? Yes. Mhmm. Yes. Uhuh... Yes. I'll tell him. Sorry to have disturbed you." Click.  
"Kosaka would deeply appreciate if you ceased to do that.", Hattori said indifferently, as he returned to his desk, mountains of untouched paperwork scrunched between his pencil mugs and staplers. Groaning, Sakaki threw the rubber band ball one last time for good measure, then sat back in his chair, apparently resigned to silent boredom.  
"So you're hoping for more threats and riddles?", Michael said through a mouthful of donut. "Sheesh"  
"Well, it would be better than sitting about doing nothing all day.", Sakaki complained as he began to remove the rubber bands. Stretching them a bit to test their elasticity, he then prepared to aim it at the back of Doujima's head. Karasuma looked up from her book and stared at him, a no nonsense look in her eyes. "You're no fun.", he moaned, feigning a pitying look. Putting his arms behind his back, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, sitting in an awkwardly balanced position, threatening to topple the next time he moved a muscle. Returning to her book, fighting the urge to smile, Karasuma shook her head silently.  
"Hey... now that I think about it...", Michael began, typing halted, a sincerely hesitant air to his voice, "... how did Amon survive that fall? I mean, does it have anything to do with his..."  
"Craft?", Amon interrupted, looking up from his work with an unreadable expression. This got everyones attention. Sakaki sat up straight, Robin choked on her sip of coffee, and Doujima put down her fashion magazine.  
"I mean... I know you've never told any of us of what powers you have, if any at all... but... after what happened"  
"Perhaps.", Amon replied with a mysteriously dark and final tone to his voice, letting all members of the team know that he had no desire to divulge such personal information. Disappointed, everyone slowly returned to their work, occasionally glancing in his direction, hoping he would reconsider or at least elaborate on his response. Everyone knew it would be an exciting conversation to hold once Amon was elsewhere, but if they attempted to discuss it while he was present his annoyance would be a bit too high a price. An annoyed Amon could be quite unpleasant and, if possible, even colder than usual, and since Robin had to work with him as her partner, she would be the one to suffer most. It was best left until the next day. Not even Karasuma was satisfied with ignorance, and Doujima was on the brink of screaming with curiosity. They would slowly coax it out of him, and if not, they would find a better source of information.  
"Hey, Michael...", Sakaki whispered, leaning close so Amon wouldn't hear. "What do you say about hacking deep into the STNJ's files? Deeper than, say, even you are normally allowed"  
"To find out if they know Amon's craft? Are you crazy!? That's what got me stuck here in the first place"  
"Well, then I guess you'd better not get caught."


End file.
